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British Columbia-based Barrier Marine Services Canada Ltd. has been awarded a $7.9 million contract by Irving Shipbuilding to design and outfit laundry and galley equipment for the future Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC), with construction beginning this summer for the Royal Canadian Navy as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). Also known as Commissariat Equipment, the laundry/galley equipment and furniture will be produced at Barrier Marine’s Vancouver facilities.

Barrier Marine’s team has been involved in the NSS for five-years, carrying out initial functional and productional design. Now, the Vancouver operation will contribute to delivering a quality and comfortable space for the CSC’s future crew members.

Barrier Marine draws upon its parent company’s impressive global experience and knowledge to deliver this expertise locally through its Canadian operations. For instance, the Barrier family previously supplied the BAE Type 26 Programme with laundry and galley equipment. This experience provides highly valuable learnings for Canada, as the CSC design is based on the Type 26 frigate’s design.

“This project will provide Barrier Marine the opportunity to continue to apply our vast knowledge and international experience to support Canada’s shipbuilding efforts and contribute to the Canadian defence landscape,” says Tony Scott, Commercial Director of Barrier Marine Services.

This new contract with Barrier Marine is another prime example of how the NSS is delivering economic benefits from coast-to-coast. In addition to benefitting Canada’s naval capability, this partnership will create more jobs and contribute to the local economy, a priority that is key to both Irving Shipbuilding and Barrier Marine.

“In keeping with our firm commitment to stimulating local Canadian economies, we will be manufacturing the steel furniture for this project either directly, or in collaboration with other Canadian companies to maintain a local supply chain and create jobs locally and for Canadians in other communities,” Scott says. “Barrier’s current Vancouver facility bolsters the BC economy through the manufacturing of architectural and HVAC products and equipment, and we are continuing to look at expansion opportunities for new manufacturing facilities across Canada to further support the NSS and Canadian communities.”

To date, the NSS has delivered over $24 million in contracts and investments to BC, generating jobs, driving innovation, and advancing skills development.

Barrier Marine offers a unique solution for the NSS through its ability to manufacture metal furniture and other equipment in-house, allowing for increased flexibility and cost-savings.

“By manufacturing off-site while the ship is being built, the outfitting timeline is reduced. Additionally, Barrier Marine’s services are unique in that we offer a made-in-Canada solution. We seek to manufacture our own partitions, ceilings, metal furniture and other parts in-house, allowing us increased flexibility throughout the program and the ability to handle specification changes.”

Barrier Marine also hopes this opportunity, and future partnerships like it, will enable it to invest in Canadian skills development even further.

“We are looking to set up training opportunities alongside industry and union partners to support apprentices and Indigenous peoples, bring increased innovation to the industry and address existing skills gaps in the Canadian workforce,” says Scott.

Partnering with a recognized program like the CSC has supported Barrier in growing its Canadian operations further. The company has successfully pursued additional opportunities in other Canadian shipyards and has ambitions to expand its operations to Central and Eastern Canada.